West End favourite Dave Willetts joins Aspects of Love cast

Dave Willetts will join the cast of the eagerly anticipated new West End production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Aspects of Love in late May.

The first person to play the leading roles in Les Misérables (London and Australia) and The Phantom of the Opera (London and Manchester), Willetts will share the role of Sir George Dillingham with Michael Ball. Willetts will step into the role on Mondays from 29 May with Ball playing George at every other performance.

Re-imagined for the 21st century, the musical also stars Laura Pitt-Pulford as Rose, Jamie Bogyo as Alex and Danielle de Niese as Giulietta.

The cast is completed by Rosemary Ashe (Elizabeth), Anthony Cable (Ensemble), Vinny Coyle (Hugo), Chumisa Dornford-May (Ensemble), Sophia Foroughi (Ensemble), Dickon Gough (Barker/Ensemble), Ben Heathcote (Co-Barker/Ensemble), Eu Jin Hwang (On Stage Swing), Daniel Jagusz-Holley (On Stage Swing), Linda Jarvis (Ensemble), Natasha O’Brien (On Stage Swing), Joanna O’Hare (On Stage Swing), Michael Matus (Marcel) and Anna Unwin  (Jenny). The role of Young Jenny will be shared by Indiana Ashworth, Millie Gubby and Katie Mitton.

Reuniting Ball with his director on the 2012 West End revival of Sweeney Todd, Jonathan Kent, the new production will begin performances at the Lyric Theatre on 12 May with the initial booking period running through to 11 November. The production features new musical arrangements by Tom Kelly based on original orchestrations by David Cullen and Lloyd Webber.

The production’s set and costume design is by John McFarlane, with lighting design by Jon Clark, sound design by Paul Groothius, video design by Douglas O’Connell, choreography by Denni Sayers and musical supervision by Nicholas Skilbeck. The musical director is Cat Beverbridge.

Based on the 1955 novella by David Garnett with music by Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart, Aspects of Love premiered at the Prince of Wales Theatre in 1989. The musical follows the romantic fortunes of actress Rose, her admirer Alex, his young cousin Jenny, his uncle George and George’s long-term mistress Giulietta.

The original production was directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Gillian Lynne. Ball created the role of Alex on stage in the West End and also played the character in the Broadway transfer production.

Angela Thomas